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I have a 2008 Prius and

I have a 2008 Prius and these directions were the best I found in my do it yourself search. I thought I would try it myself first considering the bulb cost me only $10 and the fact that I can't seem to get in and out of the Toyota service center for less than $100 even for a simple oil change. Thanks for sharing, it worked like a charm.

An American car comparable

An American car comparable to the used '01 prius I "STOLE" for under $5k a couple years ago is now well over 170,000 mi and has had NO ISSUES until last week when a power steering recall notice was issued. (btw, the car has APPRECIATED $1500 since i bought it used, presumably due to rising gas prices). My local Toyaota dealership ate the $2500 in parts to repair, I was charged for no labor, and I got my baby back the SAME DAY.

My father is also a supporter of domestic vehicles, yet ALL of his Ford /Mercury, Pontiac, and Buick vehicles have had major failures within 8 years, (right around the 100,000 mi mark), despite meticulous maintenance, with the costs of repairs outweighing any benefits. Even though I'm 35, he INSISTED I buy MYSELF a used Focus. After purchasing the used Prius anyway (with ALL maintenance records included), all I can say is: WOW!!!! I'M ELATED EVERYDAY JUST SEEING MY PRIUS! ok, Dad pretty much disowned me and didn't trust the Prius while we drove around Phoenix on a recent business trip to my new neck of the woods .... but he warmed up to "her" quickly and my mom is currently looking at purchasing a used 2010 Prius.

My mechanic said that he routinely services '01-'03 Priuses that have upwards 250,000mi on them. One in particular here in the Phoenix area is an '02 Prius with over 300,000mi and all that he's ever done mechanically is replacing brake pads and a fuse!!!!

Well cared for, a Prius could run forever (with a possible battery replacement needed at some point). I admit the SouthWest has been kind to our hybrids. I wouldn't expect ANY car to last without issues where I grew up, in Milwaukee, WI. Still, the weather conditions, salt on the road in winter, rainfall, etc., does not cause automatic transmissions in fords and chevys to fail. I also admit I have no way of knowing how long the CVT transmission in my '01 Prius could last. BUT..... despite all the recalls, "computer glitches," and apparent headlamp problems (not an issue in the '01 as they're the cheap bulbs), I trust in Toyota and my 50mpg+ with AC running, 65mph in 115* heat!!!! I've owned the car for a couple years now and have spent maybe $150 on oil, filters, sparkplugs and a couple fuses. I'm mechanically inclined and take care of fluid flush and fills, oil changes, fuse changes, etc myself.

Just "my $5k worth" LOL, everyone's entitled to their opinion. In all truth, I'd prefer to buy from a domestic make. The new Ford Fusion hybrid is WAAAAY above my price range and I don't like the sedan style when it could be compact like the Focus or Prius. I have no idea what type of gas mileage a Focus gets, but I assume it's around half of what the Prius gets, in city-driving anyway. (City ~55mpg, Hwy ~47 mpg) On long hauls with elevation changes, I rarely do better than 47mpg and more like 42mpg with A/C on full blast.

So, do the costs outweigh the benifeits? who knows? who cares? the only person responsible for making that decision is the owner of the vehicle him/herself. I LOVE my Prius. In fact, as much as i want a new one, and COULD afford to purchase a new one, I intend to keep my '01 emeralld beauty on the road as long and as far as she'll take me. I've owned Fords, Chevys. Jeeps. Geos, Nissans, and this is my first Toyota.... so.....

Even if replacing a headlamp could cost me most a week's worth of pay, WHO CARES when I love my car?!?

IT'S POSSIBLE!!! You can do

IT'S POSSIBLE!!! You can do it by yourself.....As the proud and happy driver of a 2007 Prius (basically an excellent vehicle), I was also rudely awakened by the right side (passenger side) headlight problem. The owner's manual pictures the usual easy looking diagram for its maintenance, but "the devil is in the details". After paying $100. to have the dealer change it (it is a fair price as the labor involves taking off the front bumper), and having the same headlight fail somewhat later, I checked with my local Pep Boys from whom I bought the new headlight, they too quoted a price of a bit more than a hundred dollars. Yes, I attempted to do what I failed to do on the first try, since the car was needed immediately. I proceeded with trepidation as I had with no way to see what I was doing (no hand mirrors available). I followed the instructions carefully, for example, noting that the correct direction to turn the protective plastic cover would be reversed given that I was facing the car, wearing the surgical gloves to avoid getting grease on the bulb itself (as instructed), and most importantly, noticing how to release the spring clip by pulling up on it as you must use your fingers to do so (no tools except those of midgets would fit in there). Of course I was cussing furiously the whole time! It took about 45 minutes and obviously required the ability to visualize the orientation of the bulb assembly (note the three prongs) with the bulb housing. Avoiding the panic associated with O.C.D. and having faith in a "Higher Power", I did it! The headlight was in and working. If I, who am seriously mechanically challenged could do it, so can you!!!!

IT'S POSSIBLE!!! You can do

IT'S POSSIBLE!!! You can do it by yourself.....As the proud and happy driver of a 2007 Prius (basically an excellent vehicle), I was also rudely awakened by the right side (passenger side) headlight problem. The owner's manual pictures the usual easy looking diagram for its maintenance, but "the devil is in the details". After paying $100. to have the dealer change it (it is a fair price as the labor involves taking off the front bumper), and having the same headlight fail somewhat later, I checked with my local Pep Boys from whom I bought the new headlight, they too quoted a price of a bit more than a hundred dollars. Yes, I attempted to do what I failed to do on the first try, since the car was needed immediately. I proceeded with trepidation as I had with no way to see what I was doing (no hand mirrors available). I followed the instructions carefully, for example, noting that the correct direction to turn the protective plastic cover would be reversed given that I was facing the car, wearing the surgical gloves to avoid getting grease on the bulb itself (as instructed), and most importantly, noticing how to release the spring clip by pulling up on it as you must use your fingers to do so (no tools except those of midgets would fit in there). Of course I was cussing furiously the whole time! It took about 45 minutes and obviously required the ability to visualize the orientation of the bulb assembly (note the three prongs) with the bulb housing. Avoiding the panic associated with O.C.D. and having faith in a "Higher Power", I did it! The headlight was in and working. If I, who am seriously mechanically challenged could do it, so can you!!!!

This is exactly what

This is exactly what happened to me. I ended up buying two bulbs from the dealer at $300+ but plan to either do it myself or have my local mechanic to it. They also wanted $150 to install the one that is burned out. not sure what price would have been for both. and have to return the wrong one the auto store sold me. The guys at the dealer were nice and told me what needed done. Must say however, that my car has 108,000 miles and I still have the original brakes and this is the first front bulb to burn out. A back one was much easier; I bought it for a few $$s and my mechanic installed it. back panel had to come off.

I'm a 68 yr. old grandma and

I'm a 68 yr. old grandma and an owner of a '07 Prius. I bought it new and I have never had anything go wrong with it - until the other day - my passenger headlight went out. I got on line to see if I could find out anything about replacing it. I discovered this page and I couldn't believe what everyone was saying about their headlights and all the problems they've been having. I've gone 64k and oh never had a problem - until now. I called a Toyota dealership in Charlotte, NC and they quoted me whopping price of $600.00 to change the light bulb. I thought, 'oh my gosh, there goes all the money I saved in gas.' I said that was rediculous. So I watched several of the youtube videos on how to change a light bulb and decided to try it myself. (I had some help from my hubby. His hands were too big, so I tried it, and whalla, out it came. I was estatic! It really makes a difference with the size of your hands. Oh yes, you might want to know where I bought my bulbs. I took the old bulb to Advance Auto Parts and they gave me the exact kind that burned out. I bought a package of two for a grand total of $26.80. Putting it back together took a little figuring, but we figured it out. So the moral of the story is, 'if you don't want to spend a fortune in a bulb replacement, do it yourself. I'm even thinking about making my own youtube video.

Come on toyota. Make a

Come on toyota. Make a headlight change easier than this, Please this is something anyone can do,but not now, the smart car just makes us feel stupid,do some simple changes.make it right for you and us. I love my 2004 prius but I dread the head light change. Thank you Dustin Penny.

I replaced the passenger

I replaced the passenger side headlight bulb on my 2008 Prius last week. The bulb was less than $9 at NAPA. After jacking up the car, removing the front wheel and removing the fender liner I found that I still could not access the back of the headlamp. I had also removed several steel screws and plastic 'pins' to remove the bumper cover per online instructions, probably 25 or 30 screws and 'pins' in all.
Discouraged I went back under the hood and was able to unplug the bulb, remove a 5" dia rubber 'diaphram' weather seal by rotating it counter-clockwise, release the wire bail that was referred to. I removed and replaced the bulb and re-assembled it in less than 20 minutes.
My total time with all of the unnecessary work was between 4 and 5 hours by the time everything was put back together.